HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- Faced with "a pass-fail"
inspection that could shut down Alabama's largest nuclear plant, TVA's
CEO Bill Johnson said today he hopes federal regulators on Thursday will release results that take note of the plant's progress while under two years
of federal scrutiny.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is scheduled to report its preliminary findings Thursday during a public meeting concerning a recent intensive inspection of Browns Ferry.

The 1 p.m. meeting, July 11, will be at the Calhoun Community College Aerospace Training Center, 6250 Highway 31 North in Tanner.

Browns Ferry in Athens was cited by the NRC in 2011 for a significant safety violation related to a faulty valve that was contained in a system that TVA would have relied on if a fire broke out in the plant. The Tennessee Valley Authority has allocated more than $130 million to upgrade the plant, and improve its processes and equipment reliability in response to the NRC finding.

The plant is in the NRC's column four, one short of being shut down. Johnson said he is hopeful the NRC will take notice of the improvements that have been made in the material condition of the plant.

"This is a pass-fail exam," Johnson said.

He has been in charge of TVA for just over six months and sees plenty of work on the horizon.

Johnson, the former CEO of Progress Energy, succeeded Tom Kilgore as TVA CEO in January.

He was in Huntsville Tuesday to speak at the Rotary Club meeting and visited AL.com and The Huntsville Times office for a meeting with the editorial board.

Johnson said challenges include maintaining TVA's electricity rates, while facing a declining demand for electricity. That will require more organizational efficiency, he said.

TVA announced this morning that Preston Swafford, its chief nuclear officer, is retiring. He will be replaced by Joseph P. Grimes, a vice president at Exelon Nuclear.

Johnson didn't discuss the appointment of Grimes, but said the performance of nuclear power group's performance can be measured in a number of ways, including, the position the utility is in with the NRC; how it compares to industry standards, its handling of issues like work backlog and safety culture; and treatment of the workforce.

Johnson said TVA is committed to improving the performance of its three nuclear power plants, including Browns Ferry in Athens. He said plants that run well also have a culture that stresses nuclear safety and the safety of its personnel.

"You need outlets for employees to bring forward concerns," he said. "That's a process we want to cultivate, so people can bring things forward."

Johnson said TVA is committed to continuing to improve its safety culture. He was asked about reporting Sunday by AL.com and The Huntsville Times about a whistleblower who alleged she was discriminated against after raising safety concerns.

Johnson, an attorney, said TVA will respect the legal and regulatory process involving the whistleblower, TVA engineer Joni Johnson, a 26-year TVA employee.

"Our posture is that there is a legal process underway," he said. "We will tell the truth, there may be a legitimate difference of opinion about the facts. But we will respect the process, respect everybody's rights."

The Sunday story noted the TVA engineer's concern that a dual failure of two emergency cooling systems at Browns Ferry in 2010 could have led to serious problems in trying to cool the reactor.

But CEO Johnson said today the safety of the public, plant employees and the plant itself was not in danger and there were other means to cool the reactor, if necessary.

"The public was never in danger, if it was, I would tell you."

His tenure has already included the decision to dramatically slow down work on the proposed completion of the Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Hollywood, near Scottsboro.

Johnson said Tuesday the decision reflected an electricity marketplace that has seen a significant decrease in power demand and that changes the timetable for completion of Bellefonte.

"We won't need Bellefonte as early as we'd planned," he said. "The board hasn't yet changed the date for completion, but we need a little time to see what the future holds. It is a good option for us."

Johnson said TVA is working on a new estimate on what it will cost to complete Bellefonte. He said the current estimate "will be low."

The project was initially estimated in 2007 at $2.5 billion, but TVA has said it will be significantly more than that.

Johnson acknowledged the decision to slow down work at the plant wasn't popular in some circles, but he said he explained his thinking to U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, and others interested in the Bellefonte project.

"You can't build it until you need it," he said. "You can't build a $5-$6 billion asset until you need it."